Development Watch: The New Russo Row
We’ve been following the renovation of the Russo Realty buildings in Carroll Gardens since we got word the well-known but rundown homes wouldn’t be torn down. Now we’re pleased to see that all three buildings are more or less finished. (Wonder what happened to the old signs, though.) Any thoughts on what these homes could…
We’ve been following the renovation of the Russo Realty buildings in Carroll Gardens since we got word the well-known but rundown homes wouldn’t be torn down. Now we’re pleased to see that all three buildings are more or less finished. (Wonder what happened to the old signs, though.) Any thoughts on what these homes could go for, given the lower Smith Street location?
First Russo Building (Almost) Finished [Brownstoner]
Russo Buildings Not Biting the Dust [Brownstoner] GMAP
Dunno what they’re worth but I’d rent one tomorrow.
fsrg and CGmodern:
Let’s also add:
– the trucks from the fire department at the end of Smith always roaring down the street day and night.
– the LGA air traffic, as the location sits under a prominent LGA landing approach
– the helicopter traffic between Wall Street and JFK
– the police helicopters that occasionally circle the area because of the crime in the pjs
– the people that deal to the weirdo junkies at the Smith/9th subway station (they are there all morning long and aren’t discrete about it – I could point out 3 dealers without a problem)
– the subway station, because of it’s condition and the people that hang there, has one of the highest “sketch” factors of any other in the area
– the concrete companies and whatever they contribute to the “air quality” of the area
They did a great job! Wish they’d come to that strip of Wolcott in Red Hook that is across from the projects.
fsrg “They look nice but you’d have to try hard to find a worse place to live”
your list didnt include the weirdo junkies (is there a methadone clinic here or something?) and people from the pjs waiting for the bus…then again there’s also the ikea people so it’s an interesting mix.
Boy, a lot of negativity about the location… and that there is some sort of false advertising going on with the photo. If anyone knows about this project they know where it is and that is exactly what’s good about it. Anyone can buy run down houses on a nice block, make the neighbors happy and cash in. But the owner here made a big investment on a not so nice block, created a bulwark for folks living to the west and helped reestablish an important edge for the entire community. I would hope that with the pending Gowanus re-zoning, this can spur similar development in the area.
The owner DID try to buy the 4th building in the row but they weren’t selling. Guess they knew they’d have something more valuable after this project was completed.
The owner has been invested in the neighborhood for more than 20 years and speculating about sales prices is pointless; he isn’t cashing in. Pick on the details if you want, but that’s missing the point of the owner’s vision and the neighborhood’s benefit.
Agree that it’s a huge improvement overall. Does anyone recall the scene in Goodfellas where Jimmy tries to sway Karen into one of the buildings? Smith and 9th hasn’t looked this good in a while 😉
The Forgotten New York link that Kevin Walsh posted above has a great narrative that I reproduce here:
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“I stopped by Russo Realty to show the owner the photograph above that I had taken and leave it as a gift. I was overwhelmed when I first went in because every surface is covered with photos, mementos and news clippings. Even the walls and furniture are covered.
“Sitting in the middle of everything was an old man bundled in layers of flannel shirts. I gave him the picture and he went wild, he loved it. He showed it to the woman who was there who turned out to be a friend named Susan who cared for the aging real estate king. I sat down and she made me a plate of delicious pasta with clam sauce. During dinner, Vinnie’s nephew joined us. He is a body builder in his 50s who looks like Elvis, sunglasses and all.
“Vinnie told me that when he returned from Pearl Harbor in 1947, he went into real estate purchasing buildings all over Cobble Hill. Over the years he’s had a lot of trials and tribulations, which he couldn’t wait to tell me about.
“I took a break to go to the bathroom, which is another work of art. It was a good-sized room with a tiny cot and walls covered with nudie pictures. When I came out, there were more visitors crammed into the tiny office including a huge handsome man wearing a hairdresser’s outfit and makeup.
“The small group talked and laughed and told me they are trying to make a museum out of the place. There was a great deal of warmth in the room and his friends seem to make him happy. I felt very privileged to have been there and shared the moment.”
yeah, they look all nice and stuff but the old buildings you will never forget…full of character. First I missed the old Manhatan now I miss the old Brooklyn. Not everything of course like crime, services etc. but the character…these houses could be in any town anywhere.
These will be Section 8 rentals.